Hampton, NJ, July 1, 2014 – Bellerophon Therapeutics, LLC, a clinical stage biotherapeutics company, leveraging its proprietary drug-device technology platform for the development of innovative therapies that address significant unmet medical needs in the treatment of cardiopulmonary and cardiac diseases, today announced that Jonathan Peacock has been appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
Peacock assumes the role of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from Daniel Tassé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ikaria, Inc., who has served as interim Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bellerophon since the company’s spin-out from Ikaria in February 2014. Tassé will continue as a member of the Board of Bellerophon, the principal stockholders of which include New Mountain Capital, Arch Venture Partners, Venrock and 5AM Ventures.
Peacock served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Amgen from August 2010 until January 2014. Prior to that, from 2005 to 2010, he served as Chief Financial and Administrative Officer of Novartis Pharmaceuticals AG, the Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Division of Novartis AG. Peacock was also a partner at McKinsey and Co., the strategy consulting firm from 1998 to 2005 and a partner at Price Waterhouse from 1993 to 1998. He holds an MA in Economics from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
“We are delighted to welcome Jon to Bellerophon as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,” stated Tassé. “He brings great leadership skills, broad industry experience and deep expertise in a range of areas including business development, strategy and capital markets. This key appointment will help to both move the company’s innovative therapeutic pipeline forward and achieve its broader strategic ambitions.”
“We look forward to working with Jon as we continue to provide strong support to Bellerophon, as it focuses on developing therapeutics at the intersection of drugs and devices. Jon’s experience and talents align well to the opportunity at hand,” said Matt Holt, Managing Director of New Mountain Capital and Board Member of Bellerophon.
Commenting on his appointment, Peacock, noted, “I am excited to join Bellerophon. I believe the company has great potential, first in the development of three innovative first-in-class programs potentially entering Phase 3 development in the next 12 to 18 months and also in the opportunity to build a broader business around this strong platform of assets and capabilities. In addition, the company’s focus on developing new treatments to address important unmet medical needs within the cardiopulmonary and cardiac disease space provides a clear mission to help patients.”
About Bellerophon
Bellerophon Therapeutics LLC, is a privately-held, clinical stage biotherapeutics company focused on developing innovative therapies at the intersection of drugs and devices that address significant unmet medical needs in the treatment of cardiopulmonary and cardiac diseases. Two of the company’s product candidates are based on its proprietary pulsatile nitric oxide delivery device, INOpulse®, and are in Phase 2 clinical trials – one for the treatment of PAH and a second for the treatment of PH-COPD. The company’s third product candidate, bioabsorbable cardiac matrix (BCM), is an injectable device currently undergoing a feasibility clinical trial, which is a CE mark registration trial in the European Union and is comparable to a Phase 2 trial in U.S. drug development, for the prevention of cardiac remodeling and subsequent congestive heart failure following acute myocardial infarction (heart attack).
Bellerophon acquired exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize the INOpulse programs in PAH, PH-COPD and pulmonary hypertension associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (PH-IPF) from Ikaria, Inc. in February 2014 as part of Ikaria’s spin-out of certain of its research and development assets and subsidiaries. Bellerophon has an exclusive worldwide license to BCM from BioLineRx Ltd.
Contact
Bellerophon:
Manesh Naidu, Chief Business Officer
(908) 574-4770
Rx Communications Group:
Paula Schwartz (Investors)
(917) 322-2216
Eric Goldman (Media)
(917) 322-2563